Sony Doesn’t Plan To Unveil A New PlayStation At Key Trade Show

Sony said it does not plan on making an announcement about a new home console at this year’s E3 videogame trade show, deflating expectation that a successor to its PlayStation 3 will be on its way soon.

Kaz Hirai, who oversees Sony’s videogame and consumer electronics businesses, said the company always viewed PlayStation 3, which debuted in 2006, as a product with a 10-year life cycle and he sees no reason to rush to replace it with a new system.

Jack Dempsey/AP Photo

Sony’s Kaz Hirai

The E3 trade show, slated this year for early June in Los Angeles, is an event where many videogame console makers reveal plans for upcoming systems. Historically, new game machines are announced about every five years so there has been a lot of speculation that a new PlayStation may be unveiled at this year’s E3.

During a roundtable with reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show, a reporter asked a question to Hirai attributing comments to the head of its videogame division, Andrew House, that there would be no announcement about a PlayStation 4 at the show.

Hirai, who appointed House for the job, said they are not talking about a new home console now and that they don’t plan to do so at E3.

“Andy (House) is absolutely right in that we are not making any announcements at E3,” Hirai said. “I’ve always said a 10-year life cycle for PS3, and there is no reason to go away from that.”

Separately, Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer also fielded a question about a possible investment in Olympus, the embattled digital camera and medical equipment maker. Olympus has said it needs to raise capital to restore its battered financial health in the wake of its accounting scandal.